NFL Week 13 Best Highlights of the Games 2009

Welcome to the Best Highlights of the NFL's game. It is week 13 and the NFC and AFC are getting tighter and closer as the weeks march on. The playoffs are just a few weeks away and the wildcards are up for grabs, and so the race to the Superbowl is on!

Thanks to the NFL for their statistics and great photos. 

Week 14

• Miami over Jacksonville
• Carolina over New England
• Detroit over Baltimore
• Cleveland over Pittsburgh

NY Jets 19

Buffalo Bills 13

The Jets hold onto second place in the AFC East. They now can boast that they have the #1 pass defense in the NFL along with the leagues top ranked rushing offense.

The Bills were limited to just 194 yards of total offense and only 71 passing yards.

Mark Sanchez left the game in the 3rd quarter with a hurt knee before leaving the game. He completed 7-of-15 for 104 yards and a 13 yard scoring touchdown pass. That put the Jets up 16-10 late in the first half.

Darrelle Revis was the star of the game, limiting WR Terrell Owens to just 3 catches for 31 yards and defending 5 passes. Revis also sealed the game for the Jets when he intercepted a deep pass to Owens late in the fourth quarter. After the game Owens was quoted "It was a a very physical matchup. I would say he is a good corner, he's established himself as one of the best on the league at that position"

I think . . . . Revis deserves a trip to the Pro Bowl.

DE Shaun Ellis also came up with huge plays at the end of the fourth quarter to kill Buffalo's last hope to win the game.

And then there is Thomas Jones. T.J. who is his 10th NFL season has rushed for 1,068 yards this season.. Against the Bills he rushed for 109 yards on 23 carries. The Jets total for the day i . . 249 yards rushing on 4 carries.

Philadelphia Eagles 34

Atlanta Falcons 7

Michael Vick came home to the Georgia Dome and what a homecoming it was. The crowd had mixed emotions about his return which was evident from the early boos which turned into cheers later in the game. Vick had two touchdowns and Donovan McNabb threw for one touchdown and 238 yards on 14/25 passes.

Leonard Weaver had 100 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown. 

The injury ridden Falcons were without starting quarterback Matt Ryan and the Eagles defense did a good job holding backup QB Chris Redman to 235 yards on 23/44 passes and one touchdown which went to Roddy White who had  9 catches for 104 yards. Redman was picked off twice and the eagles Sheldon Brown returned one of those for an 83 yard touchdown.

The NFC East and December. A crazy month for this leagues teams, some seem to rise to the occassion like the Eagles and then there are the Cowboys...... 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6

Carolina Panthers 16

Josh Freeman was intercepted 5 times in the Buccaneers loss to the Panthers in an NFC South Division match up at the Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte N.C.Three of his interceptions were inside the Panthers 8 yard line. Yet on this day Freeman passed for a career high 321 yards and he finished 23 of 44 passes. Connor Barth accounted for all of Tampas' points with a pair of field goals.

Matt Moore started in place of Jack Delhomme (who broke his finger last week against the Jets) and threw for 161 yards on 14 of 20 passes with an interception but most important he limited his mistakes. It was Carolina's defense that was clutch and opportunistic. LB Jon Beason led the defense with two red zone interceptions and 6 tackles. CB Richard Marshall had 9 tackles but let Bucs WR Antonio Bryant catch 5 passes for 116 yards, including catches of 40 and 20 yards that set up both of Tampas' field goals.

And so the biggest question for John Fox this week . . . did Matt Moore do enough to let him start next week against New England . . .  even if Delhommes finger is better?

St Louis Rams 9

Chicago Bears 17

The Bears finally committed to the running game and the result was a win. Jay Cutler threw for 143 yards completing 8 of 17 passes and a touchdown. More important was the news that he did not throw a single interception. Matt Forte ran for 91 yards and a touchdown on on 24 carries. Jamar Williams was all over the field filling in for Lance Briggs.

Kyle Boller was 17 of 32 with 113 yard and one interception as the St. Louis was stopped on a potential game tying drive in the final minutes. Steven Jackson (his back is killing him) made things interesting in this rather boring game (well at least until the end) rushing 28 times for 112 yards. On a positive note for the Rams Jackson has now run for more than 100 yards in five of his last 6 games.

Detroit Lions 13

Cincinnati Bengals 23

Carson Palmer went 17 for 29 with 220 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, Chad Ochocinco who had not caught a touchdown pass since Oct. 25 but against the Lions he had alot to be happy about in this winning against the Lions. Ocho had 9 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown. Cedric Benson back in the game after missing the last two games with a hip injury had 36 carries for 110 yards.

Not a great day for Matthew Stafford and the Lions. Stafford went for 11 for 26 with 143 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and one late in the game tackle on his bad shoulder that sent him to the sidelines for medical attention. He didnt return to the game. Calvin Johnson had six catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.

The Bengals have secured their hold on first place in the AFC North.

Tennesee Titans 17

Indianapolis Colts 27

Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, Peyton Manning threw for 270 yards and one touchdown. Joseph Addai ran 21 times for a record high of 79 yards, he also had with 2 touchdowns. Pierre Garcon totaled a career high 136 yards on six receptions. And Reggie Wayne caught four passes and he now has 1,035 yards receiving.

The Titans head coach Jeff Fisher was quoted as saying, "We had good opportunities to nab the game and we did not. We had chances to make the plays and keep the game close. Our approach was to keep the game close and we did . . but we let it get away at the end."

In the loss the Titans star running back Chris Johnson rushed for 113 yards on 27 attempts but he could not find the endzone. Vince Young completed 24 of 43 passsing for 241 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Bo Scaife led the team with 56 yards and one score on five receptions. The Titans converted 8 of 15 third downs and outgained the Colts 375-358.

The NFL notified team officials of the following scenario on December 7, 2009, if the Colts win over the Broncos (8-4) they become the top seed in the AFC. San Diego (9-3) and Cincinnati (9-3) are the only other AFC teams who can reach 13 wins, but they still play each other. The winner of that game would lose a tiebreaker to Indianapolis at 13-3 based on common opponents.

Houston Texans 18

Jacksonville Jaguars 23

David Garrard threw for 238 yards, he had two touchdowns, was sacked four times and had no interceptions. Josh Scobee kicked three field goals and the Jag defense came up with three interceptions.

And this win keeps the Jaguars in the thick of the AFC wildcard hunt. They have home games against Miami (6-6) and Indianapolis (12-0) up next, and finish the season on the road against Cleveland (1-10) and New England (7-5).

Denver Broncos 44

Kansas City Chiefs 13

The Broncos built a 14-3 lead by pounding the Chiefs with the running game on an 8-play, 80-yard drive. Kyle Orton threw two touchdown passes three turnovers. Knowshon Moreno ran for a pair of touchdown scores. WR Brandon Marshall had seven receptions for 94 yards and one touchdown.

Matt Casel completed 10 of 29 passes for 84 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions before he was benched. Brodie Croyle had to come in and replace him.

The Lions won this game but they lost the Barrel Man, their best fan. May he RIP.

New England Patriots 21

Mami Dolphins 22

Chad Henne may have had the best game of his career in the NFL. He completed 29 of 52 for 335 yards with two touchdowns. It was his best day for completed passes, in attempts and in yardage.With 3:44 left on the clock it was Henne who marched the Dolphins 64 yards on 12 plays to set up Dan Carpenters 41 yard game winning kick. And all it left for the Patriots was 1:07 seconds to respond.

Henne wasnt the only reason the Dolphins beat the Patriots on this day. Davone Bess caught 10 passes for 117 yards and one touchdown. Channing Crowder made his first ever interception when Brady threw the ball right into his belly and sealed the win.

After watching this game ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss was qquoted as saying "When the Patriots have a chance to bury the opposition, they can't call on a killer instinct, and when they take an opponent's best shot they don't consistently respond in kind. Once tough as nails and counted on to respond favorably in critical situations, the Patriots now crumble."

Oakland Raiders 27

Pittsburgh Steelers 24

Could it be that the energy and leadership of Bruce Gradkowski, is just what the Raiders have been needing all season? Gradkowski completed 20 of 33 for 308 yards and on this day he became the first Raider quarterback to throw three touchdowns in a fourth quarter since Ken Stabler back in 1979 when the Raiders beat New Orleans 42-35.

Louis Murphy caught an 11 yard pass with 9 seconds to go, this was his second touchdown in the final 5 1/2 minutes.

Ben Roethlisberger threw for 278 yards, he had two touchdowns and one interception. But it was the NFL's third ranked Steeler defense that couldn't hold the line(they gave up 396 yards) against the leagues second worst offense.

Pittsburgh has now lost to the NFL's two worst teams in the last 3 weeks (the Raiders and the Chiefs) which puts them three games behind the Bengals in the AFC.

Could this loss be the one that has sealed the Steelers fate this season?

New Orleans Saints 33

Washington Redskins 30

The unstoppable New Orleans Saints made an amazing escape and yes . . .  they continued their winning streak,  with a last-minute victory against the Washington Redskins. Drew Brees went for 35 of 49 with 419 yards , two touchdowns and one interception. Robert Meachem had eight catches for 142 yards and one touchdown, he also scored on a fumble return.

Jason Campbell went 30 for 42 with a career high 367 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Devin Thomas had seven catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns. The Redskins almost beat the unbeaten Saints had it not been for a blown fourth quarter lead.

Devin Thomas on the Redskins loss "You have to just deal with it because it's part of the game, but right now it just seems like there's some jinx or curse against us to where we just can't finish even though we should win the game. We've got to find the right chemistry or the right mixture of guys."

San Diego Chargers 30

Cleveland Browns 23

Philip Rivers completed 18 of 25 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns and San Diego wins this one. That makes 7 in a row. But beating the Browns is not all that much to brag about. LaDainian Tomlinson on the other hand is. For Tomlinson reached 150 touchdown in his 137th game, passing Emmett Smith (160 games). He also passed Marshall Faulk and Jim Brown to move into eighth on the NFL's career rushing list.

As for the Browns, you have to give them an E for effort here an A for on their persistence and and gold star for their loyatly to one another. And you can hear that in the Browns running back Jerome Harrison words, ''People probably say that every week due to our record, they think we're not going to come out and play, Guys in this locker room play for each other and play hard.''

Well for sure these Browns arent playing for Mangini.

Week 14

• Chicago over Green bay
• San Diego Over Dallas

And of course a Victory over the EAGLES

Dallas Cowboys 31

NY Giants 24

And the NFC East gets tighter. And the Giants saved their season by beating the Dallas Cowboys.

Hakkem Nicks without him the Giants were headed to a scoreless first half and then he had a huge drive in the second quarter.

Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka, both were consistent and solid. Tuck for sure would have liked to let loose on Flozell Adams who in week two injured Justin and in this game Flozy drew a personal foul with a late hit out of bounds on Tuck. Talk about ugly!

Brandon Jacobs took a short pass from Eli Manning and went for 74 yards for a TD that put the Giants in front for the rest of the game. And this is what he had to say about the play, "It's the biggest play of my career, It's extra special against Dallas. That's absolutely a team I can't stand. I've been hating Dallas ever since I knew anything about football."

Then there was Domenik Hixon who broke a 79 yard punt return. Take my breathe away.

Osi Umenyiora may have lost his starting job on the line but it looks as if he took over Strahans role of keeping everyones energy alive while he gets to store his energy to make the big plays and he did just that when he returned 24 yards, palming the ball in his right hand as he glided down the sideline.

Steve Smith he is 2nd in the NFC with 78 catches, just 5 behind Larry Fitzgerald. Vote #12 Steve Smith into the Pro Bowl, he belongs there.

And then there was the Cowboys who were outrushed by the Giants 45-100. Last time the Cowboys have not had a winning record in December since 2001.

San Francisco 49ers 17

Seattle Seahawks 20

Basically the Seahawks knocked the 49ers out of the playoffs with this win. And so another heartbreaking loss for San Francisco and you got to think, man these 49ers have got to be frustrated.

Alex Smith, who had never had a 300-yard passing day in his first 38 NFL games, threw for a career-high 310 yards, he completed 27 of 45 throws and had two touchdown passes. Vernon Davis had six catches for a career-high 111 yards.

But the game was lost on

• two incompletions from the Seahawks 1 in first quarter,
• a fumble on punt return reverse mishandled by Arnaz Battle and Brandon Jones
• another fumble by Frank Gore at Seattle 22
  
• and an ill-timed three-and-out in the final minute that left Seattle time and field position for the winning drive.

And to finish the 49ers off Olindo Mare kicked a 30 yard field goal as time expired.

Minnesota Vikings 17

Arizona Cardinals   30

Kurt Warner connected on 22 of 32 passes for 285 yards and he threw for three touchdowns.Larry Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 143 yards with a touchdown. Add to that seven receptions for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Anquan Boldin.

Brett Farve set an NFL record by making his 283rd consecutive start. He completed 30 of 45 passes for 27 yards with two touchdowns and the Cardinals picked him off twice. Adrian Peterson who came into the week third in the NFL in rushing with 1,084 yards was limited to 19 yards on 13 carries.

The Cardinals grabbed a three game lead on the 49ers and the Seahawks in the NFC West. And the Vikings, even though they lost this one still hold a healthy lead over the NFC North.

Baltimore Ravens   14

Green Bay Packers   27

Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns, two went to TE Jermichael Finley in a Monday night game that was a game riddled with 23 penalties for 310 yards tying for the second highest yardage total in an NFL game.

The Ravens were called for five pass interference penalties. And Green Bay was flagged four times for pass interference.

It was a cold night and that was evident in that Ray Rice fumbled inside the 20 yard line in the first quarter and Joe Flacco threw a season worst three interceptions, one that probably cost the game in the end zone in the fourth quarter.